RaaS #587: Superstate Raises $82.5M Series B!

YZi Labs Invests in BitGo’s IPO, MetaMask Wraps Season 1, And Moar!

Vitalik is making 2026 the year of reclaiming digital self-sovereignty. He has moved from Google Maps to OrganicMaps, Gmail to Proton Mail, and is exploring local LLMs for compute privacy. The endgame? Less data to third parties, more control at the edges.

Binance has launched a $40M WLFI airdrop campaign for users holding USD1 across Spot, Margin, Funding, and Futures accounts. Rewards are distributed weekly from Jan 23 to Feb 20, with boosted APRs for Margin/Futures collateral.

Chainlink has acquired Atlas from FastLane, integrating its liquidation auction tech into Chainlink’s SVR to expand Oracle Extractable Value (OEV) capture across chains like Arbitrum, Base, and BNB. This will accelerate revenue recapture for DeFi protocols like Aave and Compound.

Superstate raises $82.5M in Series B to scale onchain capital markets infrastructure. Backers include Bain, Haun, Galaxy, and Brevan Howard. With $1.2B+ AUM, SEC-registered infrastructure, and Opening Bell live, they’re pushing tokenized funds and direct issuance into production.

We will take turns being rich.

Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda, was released after serving 440 days of a two-year sentence for her role in the FTX fraud. A math prodigy turned trader, she admitted to misusing customer funds and received leniency for her cooperation. She’s now barred from leadership roles in crypto and finance.

Monad’s MIP-4 introduces a new opcode for reserve balance introspection, letting contracts detect execution state issues before reverts. It’s a controversial but practical step toward smoother developer UX, though it adds work for compilers, Foundry, and other tooling.

Ledger is exploring a NYSE IPO that could value it over $4B, up 167% from its last round. Advisors include Goldman Sachs and Jefferies. This follows BitGo’s $2B debut and reflects growing appetite for public crypto infra plays amid rising demand for asset security.

Your daily dose of bite-sized crypto news.

1. River has raised $12M in a strategic round backed by TRON DAO, Maelstrom, and The Spartan Group.

2. Bitmine has now staked a total of 1.94M ETH, worth $5.71B.

3. The SEC and CFTC will hold a joint event next Tuesday on making the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.”

4. Bezos publicly denied Polymarket’s claim that he advised Gen Z to work at McDonald’s or Palantir before starting a business.

5. Binance has filed for a MiCA license in Greece, aiming to secure EU-wide approval before the July 1 enforcement date.

MetaMask wraps Season 1, and reward claims are set to begin shortly. Prizes include LINEA tokens, Nansen Pro discounts, Otherside avatars, and a year of MetaMask Metal Card access; eligibility depends on your activity level.

It would take a day to collate all shills.

Top Gainers: KO, BXN, ACU, USCR, 0G.

High-signal reads are worth your time, all in one place.

1. Virality is easy to spot, but memecoins that last follow patterns: strong characters, repeatable sounds, remix potential, growing mindshare, and cult-like communities. Add healthy onchain activity and the patience to hold, and you’re no longer guessing.

2. Perp DEXs are surging, but most won’t survive once incentives run dry. This 2026 guide cuts through the noise, focusing on six platforms with real volume, product depth, and upside for point farmers. Plus, a delta-neutral strategy to farm them efficiently.

3. In 2026, AI agents aren’t limited by reasoning; they’re limited by trust. Without verifiable coordination, they’re stuck in isolated loops. Crypto infra is the only way out: onchain identity, execution, payments, and reputation. The agent economy needs a ledger.

4. Tokenized uranium is now live on Etherlink. With xU3O8, users can deposit real-world uranium as onchain collateral via Morpho and borrow USDC through Oku. Real asset, real custody, DeFi-native liquidity.

5. Pantera’s January 2026 letter outlines a brutal 2025 for crypto outside Bitcoin, macros, DATs, and liquidations drove markets, with altcoins in a quiet bear since late 2024. Yet signs of recovery are building: institutional adoption is deepening, PMF is emerging in stablecoins and prediction markets, and macro tailwinds are returning.

Ansem faces a potential slash due to repeated shilling of rugs and undisclosed tokens. Despite the hit, he still has 231 supporters on the platform.

YZi Labs invested in BitGo’s NYSE IPO, reinforcing its bet on regulated crypto infra. Head of YZi Labs, Ella Zhang, joined BitGo CEO Mike Belshe to mark the listing, another signal of institutional momentum flowing onchain.

That’s all for today!